Bikini Drive-In

Gordon Mitchell has a small role playing GOLIATH in this fun film about a drive-in theater in financial trouble. Gordon Mitchell told me he did this clip as a favor to a friend. I have added two photos to the gallery that Gordon sent to me years ago. Enjoy.

I watch a lot of Fred Olen Ray. A satirical take on 80's (?) end of drive-in culture before the fall of the Berlin Wall (yes this is a plot point). Nice flick with friends.

Bikini Drive-In was the true unofficial sequel to the Bikini Car Wash Company films in my opinion. Interestingly, when I saw the credits at the start, Fred Olen Ray was the producer and Jim Wynorski was the director.

A movie with a familiar plot: someone has inherited something(namely an old drive-in theater) and she has to save it from bankruptcy. She and another man, who wanted to buy the property, choose to show old drive-in classics form the 50's and 60's and make it a party zone. This makes her happy because she is coming off a bad end to a relationship.

With this plot, who needs sex and nudity? But because the cast can't act, in comes the sex and nudity, and boy is it good. Ashley Rhey, former hardcore flash Sarah Bellomo, and Michelle Bauer strut their stuff. The sex in the Unrated version is pretty spicy. The movie lives up to being fun; you almost feel like you're there yourself. The only problem is that the film ends abruptly, like there wasn't a truly big climactic scene. Still, that doesn't deter that this is good fun, created during the golden age of MFV.

P.S. Don't diss nerdy people unless you see what's under their clothes. This movie will show you why!

Bikini Drive-In features most of the actors from "Dinosaur Island" (Peter Spellos, Ross Hagen, Richard Gabai, Michelle Bauer) plus some straight-to-cable softcore veterans like Ashley Rhey. It follows the classic STSWB (save the something with breasts) plot: Girl inherits grandpa's drive in, must raise money in limited time to keep it, dreams up idea of letting girls in bikinis work there. Sound familiar? You probably haven't seen this movie, but you've seen one like it. I give it a solid B for many laughable parts and lots of skin. Skin-O-Max master Fred Olen Ray directs this flick.

The basis for this review is the 2023 Blu-ray.

Fred Olen Ray fans will be very happy; the results he achieved with this restoration are stunning. The movie looks like it was shot yesterday. Colors that were dull and muddy on the old version now pop. The clumpy grain and pixelation that marred the old DVD? Gone, replaced by a clean and crisp image, one that has not been DNR'd to death. The original 4x3 aspect ratio has been preserved, so no worries about image cropping. Frankly, I've seen releases by big Hollywood studios that didn't look anywhere near as good as this. Mr. Ray did not ignore the sound quality, either. Dialogue is clear, and the under appreciated soundtrack can be heard in all its glory. The movie is also completely uncut and uncensored. And oh, boy...it's a veritable feast for the eyes, featuring an impressive roster of early 90s T&A actresses.

"Bikini Drive-In" is a 1993 incarnation of an old trope: a failing business that is saved by the timely intervention of a group of attractive women. It's simple, effective, and provides the groundwork for ninety minutes of goofy, sexy fun. One scene in particular, featuring Michelle Bauer and Richard Gabai, exemplifies this. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it.

I couldn't write a review for this film and not mention Sarah Bellomo, of "Beach Babes From Beyond" fame. She's hotter than Texas asphalt during a heat wave in August.

Do not ignore the special features; every single one of them is worth a look. The commentary track with Fred Ray and Richard Gabai is both funny and interesting. I would argue that this is one of Mr. Ray's best movies, and one of the best discs released under the Retromedia label. Highly recommended. Hopefully, he will do the same for "Bikini Airways" one day.